UEA is powerful force in Utah politics

Webb: Is it possible to love public education and have deep respect and gratitude for Utah's schoolteachers and yet have serious disagreements with the teachers' union?

I hope so, because that's clearly where I am. And I think a lot of Utahns, probably even a majority, feel the same way.

As a big supporter of public education, I want Utah's system to be the best in the country. I appreciate public school teachers and think the vast majority in Utah do a terrific job and should be paid more.

But I don't always like the tactics and attitude of the union that represents some 18,000 of Utah's teachers. Utah's public school teachers, numbering more than 20,000 and dispersed in most voting districts all across the state, have historically been perhaps Utah's most powerful political force.

Organized into a union that has been aggressive in making demands, applying political pressure and targeting for defeat politicians it deems unsympathetic, the teachers can be a fearsome opponent.

And yet, the union seems to have lost some of its clout and influence, especially at the Legislature. State lawmakers today aren't terribly frightened of the Utah Education Association. The pinnacle of teacher power has clearly come and gone.

In the last legislative session, public education received the biggest overall budget increase, including the biggest salary increase for teachers, in the state's history.

But the big boost seemed to come in spite of the UEA, not because of it. What's more, the Legislature circumvented the UEA's bargaining power and the usual funding process, giving specific salary boosts to teachers rather than providing a large lump sum of money with more flexibility that is more susceptible to union bargaining.

In addition, the UEA suffered its biggest legislative defeat in decades with the narrow passage of the voucher scholarship bill.

On the election front, the UEA still plays hardball and still wins a share of election battles. But today it's not the only influential advocacy group. It has significant competition from the pro-school choice group Parents for Choice in Education. Lawmakers targeted by the teachers' union can count on some funding and campaign support by another major player.